Saturday, September 30, 2006

Has the Regime Change Iran blog been hacked?

From all appearances, the Regime Change Iran blog has been co-opted, hacked or otherwise compromised. Both of its addresses -- regimechangeiran.blogspot.com and regimechangeiran.com -- redirect to a search-engine spamming site. I've intentionally avoided hyperlinking the addresses for that reason.

Hopefully, we'll see the RCI blog rise again -- like a phoenix on steroids -- quite soon.

Update: RCI is back - but apparently suffering from some funding-related problems. More info as it becomes available.

The laboratory experiment: Socialism

...The Korean people may be the most ethnically homogeneous people on earth. About 60 percent have one of only three surnames: Lee, Kim, and Park.

North and South Korea had the same history from the dawn of history until 1945.

The Korean peninsula is small, and about 45 percent constitutes the South.

At the time of partition through about 1960, I’d say, the economy of the North was more developed than that of the South. The North had a smaller population, but one that was arguably better educated than the South’s. The North had more industry, too. During the 1950s, the South was absolutely destitute, and survived on food donations from the United States.

Thus, in 1945, an “experiment of nature” was carried out. Take a small, homogeneous country and divide it arbitrarily more or less in half. Then install one kind of government in the north and another kind in the south. Close the curtain. See what happens.

The results speak for themselves, don’t they? Fifty years of Communism produced famine, or near famine. Fifty years of an increasingly free-market system produced prosperity and wider political freedom.

The strange case of Bill Clinton and the Chinese Military

On 9/13/1995, President Clinton met with John Huang and James Riady (pictured below). During the meeting, Huang expressed an interest in becoming a fund-raiser for the Democratic National Committee.

In this position at the DNC, Huang raised $3.4 million. The DNC was later forced to return nearly $2 million when a Congressional investigation revealed "problems" with the source of the funds. Huang was later convicted of crimes related to illegally reimbursing campaign contributions with Asian funds. Riady was also convicted of related campaign finance crimes. A U.S. Senate campaign finance report stated that Riady had a, "long-term relationship with... Chinese intelligence."

On 3/14/1996, President Clinton signed an order transferring license-granting authority for military/industrial technology from the State Department to the Commerce Department. This order made it easier for the Chinese military (the PLA) to launch American satellites, over objections from the Pentagon and the State Department. During the Clinton administration, focused Chinese espionage efforts made significant headway in the theft of U.S. military/industrial secrets including those concerning nuclear weaponry.

On 5/25/1999, the U.S. House of Representatives released the Cox Report ("Report of the Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China"), which detailed publicly for the first time China's espionage campaign against the United States. The report was a redacted version of a still-classified report. Approximately 30% of the original report, the unanimous product of a bi-partisan committee, remains classified.

Back to Dubai

The Post's article reveals a web of connections between the Emir of Dubai, Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the Clintons.

Clinton's former press secretary, Joe Lockhart, is reported to have denied he works for the emir. But it now turns out that the Emir's Dubai International Capital Corp. (DICC) hired Lockhart's Glover Park Group (GPG) to help with its U.S. takeovers. Among the takeovers: two U.S. defense firms. Besides Lockhart, GPG's partners include Hillary's chief advisers: Howard Wolfson and Gigi Georges. DICC paid $100,000 for GPG's services.

The Post article questions whether Hillary knew that the emir provided funding to her senior-most campaign consultants. But it seems hard to believe that Hillary, a notorious "control freak", wouldn't have insight into these potentially damaging relationships.

The Clinton family's swelling coffers

Senator Clinton's office claims that GPG never lobbied her on the Dubai ports issue.

But, tellingly, Newsday has reported that other New York officials (including Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Peter King) were contacted.

The Post article reports that the Clintons' net worth has increased quite dramatically in only two short years. In 2003, Hillary disclosed assets of between $352K and $3.8 million.

Only two years later, she declared assets of between $10 million and $50 million. In the past, observers could have pointed to suspect commodities trading practices, but this time no one is quite sure what's behind the Clintons' swollen assets. The Post posits that Dubai may be the answer to the question of what caused Hillary's assets to explode:

* Clinton is a top advisor to Yucaipa, an investment company run by billionaire Ron Burkle, which, through a subsidiary, [manages] the emir's investment portfolio shortly after Clinton joined the firm.

* Clinton gets a flat fee from Yucaipa and a share of the profits on the foreign investment fund it manages. (Hillary's Senate disclosure form notes only that Bill gets more than a $1,000 a year in compensation from this.)

* The emir gave an undisclosed donation to the Clinton Presidential Library -- but it must have been hefty: The library set up a Clinton Scholars program for young people from the Arab nation, the only such program it runs.

* Bill Clinton has twice given speeches in Dubai for close to $500,000.

The Post also notes that the Sheikh may suspect in more ways than one. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Sheikh and his brother that alleges a conspiracy to abduct and traffic in, "thousands of small boys from South Asia and Africa to the United Arab Emirates and other Arab states and enslaved them to work as camel jockeys, camel trainers and camel tenders... boys as young as two years old were stolen from their parents, trafficked to foreign lands, and put under the watch of brutal overseers in camel camps throughout the region."

The true relationship between the Clintons and the Emir should be fully and fairly disclosed. Given Bill Clinton's bizarre attentuation to the Chinese military, other questionable links to Dubai merit transparency. Anything less is a continued stain on what little remains of the Clinton "legacy."

LA Times: Head-in-the-Sand

Sam Harris' LA Times Op-Ed is a must-read. Money quote:

...We are entering an age of unchecked nuclear proliferation and, it seems likely, nuclear terrorism. There is, therefore, no future in which aspiring martyrs will make good neighbors for us. Unless liberals realize that there are tens of millions of people in the [extremist] world who are far scarier than Dick Cheney, they will be unable to protect civilization from its genuine enemies...

Friday, September 29, 2006

New Al Qaeda recruiting video

The new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, one Abu Ayyub al-Masri, released a new recruiting message this week. The message was far more professional than previous versions. In fact, it showed a sophistication that bordered on Madison Avenue-quality. Thanks to our patented Blogotronic™ technology, we've summarized and translated the ad into a single, comprehensive blog post:

Have you ever wanted to visit exciting, scenic Iraq? Now, you can get treated like a high-roller, free!

Bill Clinton seeks solace in the company of old friends

Kathleen! Hi, this is Bill. I know it's been a while, but did you happen to see that Pathway to 9/11 TV movie? It was a flat-out lie... you there? Hello? Anyone there?

* * *

Hello?

Paula... how are you? This is Bill. Been a long, long time. Just wanted to see how you're doin'? I was wonderin' - did you ever read Dick Clarke's book about 9/11... uhm, hello? Hello? C'mon!

* * *

Hello.

Juanita - long time no talk to. This is Bill. Was checkin' in to see how you are? And if you happened to catch Fox News on Sunday? Did you - dammit! Hello? HELLO! For the love of... oh, man, this is bad.

Okay... last name on the list...

* * *

Hello?

Monica! Bill here - hey, don't hang up! I just...

Bill? Is that really you? Hey, I'm walking through the airport and I really can't talk -

BIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLL! I'M TIRED! COME INTO THE BEDROOM NOW AND RUB MY FEET! I MEAN IT, I HAD A REALLY, REALLY HARD DAY! GET IN HERE NOW!

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

The NIE: sections the New York Times censored

In upholding its rich tradition of censorship and national-security-damaging disclosures, the New York Times this week tried again to dent the GOP. The Times cherry-picked a few bits and pieces of the classified National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) document to portray the war on Iraq as inciting more terrorism.

The NIE was released last April. It was a classified document. Tiny portions of it were leaked in, this, the stretch run of an election season -- in violation of dozens of laws -- as a tacit endorsement for Democratic candidates. We're still waiting for a single Times article that reveals an enemy plot, by the way.

No mention of how fighting Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq is somehow not related to fighting Al-Qaeda-in-the-rest-of-the-world. Or how Musab al-Zarqawi, who was in Iraq before the war, will lead more terror attacks now that he's in stable condition in Hell.

...They came to America on September 11th, but they were attacking you before September 11th in other parts of the world. We are a witness in Afghanistan to what they are and how they can hurt. You are a witness in New York. Do you forget people jumping off the 80th floor or 70th floor when the planes hit them? Can you imagine what it will be for a man or a woman to jump off that high? Who did that? And where are they now? And how do we fight them, how do we get rid of them, other than going after them? Should we wait for them to come and kill us again? ...

Now that it's been declassified, I urge you to download your own copy of the entire NIE and peruse it at your leisure. Courtesy of the In from the Cold blog, here are some highlights you won't read in the Times:

* "A large body of reporting indicates that people identifying themselves as jihadists is increasing...however, they are largely decentralized, lack a coherent strategy and are becoming more diffuse."

* "Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves to have failed, we judge that fewer will carry on the fight."

* "Threats to the U.S. are intrinsically linked to U.S. success or failure in Iraq."

* "There is evidence that [the terrorists'] violent tactics are backfiring...their greatest vulnerability is that their ultimate political solution (shar'a law) is unpopular with the vast majority of Muslims."

* "Progress toward pluralism and more responsive political systems in the Muslim world will eliminate many of the grievances jihadists exploit."

Funny. I don't recall seeing those statements in the Times, the Washington Post, or the Boston Globe. Don't hold your breath waiting for them to appear, either. Unless you're being driven around on Martha's Vineyard by Teddy Kennedy.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Bill Clinton explodes, 'right-wing' media to blame

If you missed Fox News Sunday's interview with Bill Clinton, then you avoided a political tsunami of extraordinary proportions. When Wallace asked a straightforward question, Clinton launched into a finger-pointing, eye-bulging tirade not seen since his fabricated denial of sexual relations with that woman.

WALLACE: When we announced that you were going to be on Fox News Sunday, I got a lot of e-mail from viewers, and I've got to say, I was surprised. Most of them wanted me to ask you this question. 'Why didn't you do more to put bin Laden and Al-Qaeda out of business when you were president?'

CLINTON: I'm being asked this on the Fox network.

Yes, Bill, it's just that simple: the vast right-wing conspiracy -- a diabolical cabal of neocons, anti-Communists, and other lizardoid minions -- has struck again... by asking a question.

Asked why he had not done more to put al-Qaeda and bin Laden "out of business," the former President launched into a finger-jabbing riposte. "I got closer to killing him than anybody’s gotten since," he said.

Closer - without actually making a decision to try. Doesn't that sound eerily similar to almost having relations with that woman? He almost gave it the old college try, but he couldn't quite pull the trigger by actually making a decision.

HARRY SMITH: President Clinton basically laid the blame at the feet of the CIA and the FBI for not being able to certify or verify that bin Laden was responsible for a number of different attacks. Does that ring true with you, Michael Scheuer?

SCHEUER: No, sir, I don't think so. Former president seems to be able to deny facts with impunity. Bin Laden is alive today because Mr. Clinton, Mr. Sandy Berger and Mr. Richard Clarke refused to kill him. That's the bottom line. And every time he says what he said to Chris Wallace on Fox, he defames the CIA especially, and the men who risked their lives to give his administration repeated chances to kill bin Laden.

HARRY SMITH: Is the Bush administration any less responsible for not finishing the job in Tora Bora?

SCHEUER: There's plenty of blame to go around, sir, but the fact of the matter is the Bush administration had one chance that they botched, and the Clinton administration had eight to ten chances that they refused to try...

Not only that, Clinton created the ultimate public relations victory for Usama Bin Laden by withdrawing troops from Mogadishu, Somalia after under-equipping them for victory.

Jon Miller's subsequent interview with Bin Laden on ABC summarized it perfectly. The behavior of the Clinton administration in Mogadishu inspired, motivated and taught UBL how Al Qaeda needed to operate. The lesson UBL learned: Americans can't sustain casualties and therefore can't achieve any military victory if they are forced to pay in blood.

And the fact remains that the Democrats have laid out the same, Mogadishu plan of cut-and-run in Iraq. Iraq will become Somalia squared if Democrats are permitted to implement their game-plan of appeasement and surrender to terrorists.

Murtha, Pelosi, Dean, Kerry, Schumer -- basically the entire power-base of the Democratic Party -- wants to cut-and-run from Iraq, which will lead to problems an order of magnitude worse than Somalia.

Monday, September 25, 2006

CBS: flogging books again (the Bush-bashing variety, of course)

On Sunday, the television news show 60 Minutes featured a segment on the president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf.

In the interview, Musharraf revealed a post-9/11 threat made by a Bush administration official. Richard Armitage, also noteworthy for his alleged involvement in the Plamegate fiasco, reportedly told Musharraf that if cooperation was not forthcoming, Pakistan should, "prepare to be bombed back to the Stone Age."

On the show, Musharraf noted, "...I took this as a threat..."

At this moment, Musharraf is also aggressively hawking his new book, entitled "In the Line of Fire."

In fact, Clarke's book and interview ran counter to documents released in 2002, in which Clarke praised the Bush administration's counter-terrorism efforts.

Clarke's book was also published by Simon & Schuster, which -- along with CBS -- was owned by Viacom. The interview with Clarke failed to mention the corporate relationship between Simon & Schuster, Viacom, and CBS.

In both cases, however, their book publishing and television broadcasting arms have been unified to present an anti-administration message designed to simultaneously gain viewership, hawk books, and -- seemingly -- tilt elections.

Musharraf and Clarke appear to be the beneficiaries of integrated, sophisticated marketing campaigns in which anti-Republican themes are promoted just prior to an election.

And CBS' 60 Minutes has been deployed -- once again -- as a promotional vehicle for an agenda that is as transparent as freshly Windexed glass.

Update: Attentive reader EJW notes, "...Simon & Schuster is owned by CBS, not Viacom, the network's former parent. After the splitup Viacom ended up with the cable assets and production studios. CBS got the publishing companies. At least, that's according to Who Owns What at cjr.org." Thanks!

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Bin Laden in hell

Once again, we've employed our patented Blogotronic™ surveillance technology to listen in at the Gates of Hell as Usama Bin Laden makes his entrance.

Wh... where am I?

Welcome to the gates of Gehenna, the portal to Hell. I am Iblis, the thrice-damned. I must say, Usama, you've made quite a name for yourself here in Hell.

We've had a monumental debate as to whether you merited placement in Malebolge... or Ptolomea. The flame wars on the Hades Blog were something to behold...

Malebolge and Ptol... wh- what's the difference?

Oh, amazing and terrifying differences!

In Malebolge, home to deceivers and falsifiers, the sufferers endlessly drown in the river Cocytus while their eyeballs fill with acid and then burst - a cycle to be repeated endlessly for all eternity.

In Ptolomea, home to traitors, the population is seared on rotisserie spits while wasps sting their private parts.

But... what about the virgins? The virgins feeding me grapes and honeyed desserts in an unceasing orgy of pleasure?

...yes, about those virgins...

- Oh - excuse me, I have to take this call...

Iblis here.

Iblis, baby, I have a couple of the boys on the line - we have some questions about procedure. Kim's fuel rods are almost ready and we're having a debate about who should get them first...

Mahmoud, we are closer to America... we can cause the most death and destruction without having to resort to those glorified bottle-rockets you call "missiles"...

Oh, okay, so you want to play rough? Yes, let's discuss the concept of "Venezuelan military victories" - it's only been what, 200 years since Simón Bolívar rode roughshod over Spain?

Stop it! Stop your bickering -- I don't have time for this -- I've got a quota of 125,000 eternally damned souls to process this morning and it's almost 10 AM!

Kim, what do you think we should do?

I don't give a cwap! Just tell me who to send them to!

Kim - flip a coin. Buh-bye. Gotta go.

*click*

Gilgemesh! These guys are like little children! Now, Usama, as I was saying... about those virgins...

There must be some sort of mistake... a clerical error... computer virus... can you double-check with someone?

Oh, double-checking isn't necessary. When you consider just how much evil -- death, destruction and suffering -- you've been responsible for... well, like I said, the only debate is whether you suffer in Malebolge or Ptolomea...